My friend Richard Auffrey has gotten me in the mood to offer
something of a year in review. Each year
in his blog entitled The Passionate Foodie Richard shares "top ten"
lists in a number of different categories. I'm not prepared for that. And I'm
not sure I'd just go and steal that idea, especially from someone who executes
it so well. I'm a different guy which means I need to do something different.
As a beverage blogger I also stick my neck out on a weekly
basis, offering my thoughts on drinks, food and occasionally the beverage
business. I'm also the producer of award-winning home fermentations and do a
fair bit of travel in search of new and interesting beverages. Taking all of
this together it occurred to me that the highlights from those adventures in 2012 might make for interesting reading. If not, at
least it will satisfy a sense of vanity having shared a bunch of "I did that"
moments. Choosing what of my adventures should make the list and in which order
they should go in was hard. Don't read too much into it. So here goes!
#10 - Kid Rock and
Bud Light Lime
Margot and I went on the
Kid Rock Chillin' The Most Cruise
this year. Four days of music and partying. Of course that meant we saw, and to
a lesser degree participated in, quite a bit of consumption. And not necessarily
the good stuff. I'm not a Bud/Miller/Coors fan, but one of the nights I
enjoyed a Bud Light Lime whilst sitting out on the deck watching the party
rage on. Margot asked what I thought of it, it wasn't my first one but I think she
was making some fun conversation, and I ultimately quipped that I could make a
much better version of the beer at home. And in fact I did with an overwhelmingly
positive response! The beer turned out to be one of our most well received brews
of 2012. You might think it would be a warm-weather-only beer but it turns out
that it is a very smooth drinker and is also good with food. We served it at our two-day Christmas party that wrapped up last night, proving that it even brings a smile in cold weather. Kid Rock is
right, sometimes it is "the simple things in life, like when and where."
#9 - Award Winning
Fruit Wine Making Tips
I was invited to speak at the
WineMaker Magazine Conference
again this year. The topic in 2012 was tips for making award winning fruit
wines, something I am happy to say I have done five years in a row. I live in
an area with lots of farms and farm markets so access to ripe and fresh fruit
is something I am blessed to have. Fresh, ripe fruit is one of the most
important requirements for making good fruit wine. On top of that you also need
creativity, curiosity and a taste for fruit wines. During the 75 minute session
the questions were rapid fire and I struggled to keep up with it all. Being
able to share the breadth of experiences this occasion allowed was a real
delight. The sharing from members of the audience was not lost on me and
several projects later in the year were inspired by their participation.
#8 - Roses & Gold
- A Man's Best Friend
In 2011, for the second time, I made a Rosé style wine from
Concord grapes grown in a friend's yard. I didn't set out to make a sophisticated
wine, rather I endeavored to use the fresh grapes to make a bright pink,
slightly sweet wine that would put smiles on a lot of people's faces. The first
attempt had come out OK, but the result in 2011 wowed everyone who tasted it.
The grapes were more ripe and my basic process for making it resulted in a
hugely pleasurable wine. Wanting to get
feedback on my new wine I entered it into the WineMaker Magazine annual
competition.
I was present at the award ceremony and as the first couple of categories were called none of the winners were present. When they got to the
Concord wine category there were winners for Bronze and Silver, but again no
winners were present. When the Gold medals were announced my name was
called. What a great way to kick off my competition results, by both winning a
Gold medal AND the first medal awarded in person that night. When I later
reviewed the judging notes I found that I scored highly in color, aroma, flavor
AND overall impression. I had scored big with a well made, balanced and delicious
wine!
#7 - Tasting a Flight
of Homemade Strawberry Wines
We can't move on from the WineMaker Magazine conference trip
before sharing one more Ancient Fire Moment. In 2010 I attended my first
WineMaker Magazine Conference and during that trip I shared my homemade
strawberry wine. I went on to win gold medal for that wine. Once word had
spread about the wine I also fielded a number of requests for the recipe and
tips for making it, which I happily shared. In 2011 I didn't medal for my strawberry
wine at this same competition, but was happy to see that I was back on track in
2012 with a Gold medal. This wine has been a special project for me since 2006,
and the only one that I really feel like I "know" how to make from
experience.
( Brother Mark, me, Amy and Brant comparing notes on homemade Strawberry wine.
Thank you to Tim Vandergrift for this great photo with Daniel Pambianchi photo-bombing us! )
During the 2012 conference swap meet I was approached by two
of the winemakers who had asked me about my recipe and process for the
strawberry wine. And each of them was brandishing a bottle. With my own bottle
in hand an impromptu comparative tasting was undertaken. What an amazing
experience! All three of us made something a little bit different, due to both production choices and that we live in three different locations, each with access
to different fruit. We each shared our production process and contrasted how
what we knew about how the wines were made might have influenced the distinct
outcomes. Some experiences make you realize you have found your people, and
this one screamed it!
#6 - Staring at the
Pacific Ocean from the Rocky Cliffs of the Oregon Coast
Living close the coastline we are a bit spoiled. With only a
short drive we can walk along the New England shore and stare out at the
Atlantic Ocean beyond. In 2012 my pursuit of new wine experiences took us to
the Portland, Oregon area for the Wine Bloggers Conference. I had heard that
the Oregon coastline was absolutely beautiful, very different in appearance to
New England and not to be missed. On a day after the conference Margot and I planned a
trip out to the coast. The drive itself was quite beautiful, first through the
farmland of the upper Willamette Valley, then through the big pines of the Van
Duzer Forest Scenic Area and finally the coast. Wow! The rocky cliffs and
abrupt end to the land at the Western edge of Oregon is breathtaking. We stopped
in many places along the way to take it all in.
#5 - Friendly Faces
In the last several years I've met a number of other area
wine & food writers with whom I have forged stronger ties since. Being able
to spend time exploring the world of food & drink with them this
year certainly wasn't just one experience, but these moments would not be fairly
exchanged for any object of value, they are the stuff life is made of.
So as I look back at another exciting year, I wish the
happiest of times to Richard Auffrey (
Passionate Foodie), Adam Japko
(
Wine Zag), Marie Payton (
Life of Vines) and Todd Traskos (
Vermont Wine Media). I can't wait to be
out drinking and eating with all of my friends again in 2013!
#4 - Collaborating
with Moonlight Meadery
Pro-am collaborations in the brewing world have been
news-worthy in the last couple of years. I've always thought it was a pretty
neat concept, but didn't believe I had ever made anything that might be of interest
to a commercial producer. Then I made an orange and vanilla infused mead. And
it took a top place in a regional competition. Michael Fairbrother from
Moonlight Meadery asked if I was interested in commercializing the recipe.
Really? Are you serious? I really did ask those questions. And the answer to
both was yes.
A new mead named Summer Love recently went into the bottle and
has been flying off the shelves from what I hear. The experience of making a mead
based on a recipe of my own with Michael and the team at Moonlight was so much
fun, something I would have never dreamed of.
#3 - Fighting Cancer
with Wine
For a number of years now my Relay For Life team has
hosted wine tastings to raise funds in the fight against cancer. In 2012 the team
reached a new milestone in our efforts, having eclipsed $100,000 raised since
2003. (Not all of this was raised through wine tastings.) In the context of larger fundraising efforts,
$100K isn't a huge number, but when you consider it was raised by a group
averaging 10 people each year, and in a very grass roots fashion you start to
see why it is significant. When I first started making beer & wine I never
imagined I would be able to combine it with a message of hope and do so much
good in this world. I shared the history and current activities of my Relay For
Life team in a series of posts this year, the most information I have shared
about Relay and my fundraising efforts since the inception of my blog.
My Relay thank you post, after the 2012 event, sums up the year we had and includes the link list to all the stories I shared. If you haven't read them I encourage you to spend the time. The people that stand with me in this fight are very dear to me, and sharing their stories was one of my fondest memories of the year.
I never set out to be recognized for my efforts fighting
cancer, but awareness of my passion spread and recognition came nonetheless. In
2012 I was honored with a
Mass General One Hundred Award. This award is given
to individuals whose efforts in the battle against cancer have impacted lives
and advanced the cause in a meaningful way. I was nominated by a friend (anonymously
so this was a surprise) who felt my passion and energy deserved to be shared. Marie,
thank you again for helping create a moment that made 2012 an incredible year
for me!
#2 - Last Man
Standing
There have been several competition moments in this top 10
list. All together it might seem like I am hugely competitive and getting
recognition from competition is a primary motivator for me and my homemade
creations. Not exactly. Competitions generate feedback and that feedback is hugely useful in
determining what I am getting right and what I getting wrong. Adding the
response from tastings to competition feedback gives me a more complete picture
of how I am doing. I win in competition less than half the time I enter and the
feedback is at least as useful when I don't win as when I do. I'm not actually as
competitive as it might appear.
( Watching the Best in Show judging at the NERHBC was both exciting and nerve wracking. )
Winning Best in Show and Meadmaker of the year were
highlights for me because they confirmed that the hard work and
resources that I plugged into my projects in the last year were very well spent.
I guess you could say I've learned a thing or two and I've used those lessons
to get better. This type of recognition is motivating and that is why this was one
of the top Ancient Fire moment in 2012.
#1 - Sharing My
Creations
This isn't so much of a moment as it is the aspect of my mad
science that brings me the most joy each year.
Trust me, all the hard work that
goes into the beverages I make has to be followed with something fun or it
really wouldn't be worth all the time! I love sharing the beverages that I
make. Only a few of my friends recall family members who made their own beer or
wine and most often the stories trend towards "it wasn't very good." I think home brewing and wine-making has come a
long way and while it still takes lots of hard work, I am always pleased to see
these same people react so positively to my beverages. There is truly something
special when you can hang out with friends drinking home brew, whether it be my
own or someone else's. I make a lot of different beverages, and much more than I
can drink. Sharing my beverages at tastings and as gifts brings me great joy
and helps with my "inventory problem!"
( Margot and I brewing up another batch of beer to share with friends. Cheers! )
To my family, friends, co-workers and neighbors I wish you
the very best during this holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Jason
